Jinkoin Temple Chukodo

A Taisho Hall with a Layered Roof

The Jinkoin Temple Chukodo (神光院中興堂) is a modern Buddhist hall with an inventive roof of 1917 in Nishigamo Jinkoincho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 26, 2021 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a single-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 121 square metres; registration number 26-0628.

A Pyramid Roof with a Gabled Front and a Cusped Porch

According to Kyoto City, Jinkoin is said to have been founded in 1217 after an oracle received by a priest of Kamigamo Shrine, which gave the temple its name; it is counted with To-ji and Ninna-ji as one of the three Kobo temples of Kyoto and is known locally as the Kobo-san of Nishigamo.

The Chukodo, a Buddhist hall of 1917, stands north-west of the main hall facing south (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Three bays wide and four deep, it puts a hip-and-gable roof in front of its pyramid-roofed core and projects a cusped-gable porch beyond that, giving it a complex outline.

Inside, the matted outer hall and side aisles lead to a boarded sanctuary at the back (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency notes the inventive round rafters of its eaves and the composition of its roofs, a modern Buddhist hall.

Why It Was Registered

The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape.

What to Look For

Look for the layered pyramid, hip-and-gable and cusped roofs and the round rafters of the eaves (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

It is owned by Jinkoin Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on visiting hours or fees was found. The main hall, guest hall, Chukodo, Rengetsuan and gate are introduced together on the Jinkoin Temple page.